VC Photo Design Methods

Contemporary Visual Artist: Annie Leibovitz by Dana Guglielmo

Annie Leibovitz is an outstanding photographer who has been photographed celebrities since the early 1980s. She has photographed people from John Lennon, Demi Moore, Julie Andrews and many more. She has created work that the public loved and even thought as a little too scandalous, but Annie doesn’t let anything get in the way of her ideas and creates a whole new world with just one photograph. And with such amazing experience, wew shouldn’t expect anything less.

Anna-Lou Leibovitz was born on October 2, 1949, in Westbury, Connecticut. In 1967, Annie enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she developed her love for photography. Then in 1970 she applied for a job with the rock music magazine Rolling Stone. Overwhelmed with Leibovitz’s portfolio, editor Jann Wenner gave her a job as a staff photographer. After two years, at the age of 23 Annie Leibovitz was promoted to chief photographer—a job and title she would hold for the next 10 years. Her job with the magazine provided her with the chance to join the Rolling Stones band on their 1975 international tour. Leibovitz developed her trademark technique at Rolling Stone, which involved the use of bold primary colors and surprising poses.

In 1983, Leibovitz left Rolling Stone and began working for the entertainment magazine Vanity Fair. With a wider array of subjects, Leibovitz’s photographs for Vanity Fair ranged from presidents to literary icons to teen heartthrobs. To date, a number of Vanity Fair covers have featured Leibovitz’s striking, eye-catching, and often controversial portraits of celebrities.

In 1991, Leibovitz’s collection of over 200 color and black-and-white photographs were exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Later in the year, a book was published to accompany the show titled Photographs: Annie Leibovitz 1970-1990 and in 1996, Annie was chosen as the official photographer of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Most recently, on April 25^th, 2008, Annie released Disney Dream Portrait Series featuring celebrities as Disney characters. These photographs portray a dream-like world, as would a Disney story. And not only are these stories being brought to life by a series of single photographs, the viewers can see their favorites celebrities extravagantly playing the roles of out childhood heroes.

Annie Leibovitz continues to be one of the most in demand photographers in the world, capturing ravishing images of the celebrities me know and love.